Centrifugal governor



April 24, 1945. KAJ LEO JENSEN YGENTRIFUGAL GOVERNOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 26, 1942 6 fiuezaza/ iffy.

Patented Apr. 24, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEQ 7 Application January 26, 1942, Serial No. 428,307

' In Great Britain February 12, 1941 4 Claims. (Cl. 192104)I This invention has for itsobject to provide an improved speed regulator, It consists of three parts, via, a control device, a centrifugal governor combination and a speed setting cam combined with a speed .dial indicator or scale. The control device may be a slipping clutch, a friction brake, a control lever or the like. A special feature of this speed regulator is its. high range which is obtained by using acombination of two or more centrifugal governors and the control device.

In the accompanying drawings: i Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of

a speed regulator comprising acentrifugal governor-slipping clutch combination in accordance with the present invention, the regulator having two centrifugal governors;

Fig. 2 is'a plan view of a scale and cam used in the regulator;

Fig. 3 shows a modified construction of twogovernor regulator employing a friction brake instead of a slipping clutch;

Figure 4 is an enlarged broken sectional view, partlyin elevation, showing the relation of the collar and spindle for cooperation.

Figure 5 is a detailed .view in elevation, partly in section, showing the speed setting knob formed for selective step operation.

Fig. 6 shows the governor combinationused in connection with a type of engine where the speed is adjusted by regulating the fueladmission; and

Fig. Tis a side elevation of a three-governor combination. d i

In Fig. l the main spindle 1 drives a friction speed setting disc 2 through suitable gear wheels3 and 4, the

2 by sleeve 8 in the said casing. The ratio of.

the gear 3--4 is chosen so that the final speed of the friction disc 2 is in excess of the maximum speed required on the regulator spindle 9.

The spindle 9 is supported by a fixed bearing Ill at its left hand end, and the right hand end is supported ina central hole II in the disc 2.

, On the regulator spindle are mountedthree collars l2, l3 and M of which l2 and [3 -are loose on the spindle while I4 is fixed to the spindle and carries a friction disc l5. In collar 12 is a groove lZ into which fits the forked end lfi of a speed setting arm ll. The horizontal part of arm I! fitsin a slide 18 in the lid l9 of the casing. A stud 20 on arm-l1, is pressed against the speed setting cam 2| (see also Fig. 2) by the action of spring 22, the spindle23 of the cam be n mounted on the lid l9.and having a scale 24 with knob 25 fixed to. it. The lid ha a fixed pointer, not shown, for co-operation with the scale; The arm I! is slotted at I! to permit of the passage of the spindle 23 through'it.

Between collars l2 and 13 are mountedpivoted arms 26=-, '26 ,,,2l and 21 the latter carrying governor'masses 28 and 28 The collars are forced apart by spring 29. In a like manner collar l3 and I4 are interconnected by pivoted arms 29%, 29 3!!' andtll carrying governor masses 3| and 30, and these two collars are forced apart by spring 32. The arms 21 21* and 39, 30 are of bell crank form.

Springs 29 and 32 and masses 28 28 and 3H,

.3l are so dimensioned that the .left hand section will close up due to the centrifugal force on the masses 28 28 for relatively .slow speeds, whereas a similar action takes place as regards theright hand section at relatively high speeds only.

d The action of the apparatus is as follows: 'With friction disc 2. revolving at low speed, spindle 9 is driven at the same speed through the friction coupling between discs 2 and 15. .As the speed i raised, however, the centrifugal force on masses 28 28 becomes high enough to overcome the force of spring 29. Collar l3 consequently moves to the left bringing with it spindle 9 because the collar is resting against a step 33 on the spindle situated-inside the extension I3 of the collar. As disc [5: isfixed to spindle 9 it participates in the motion to the left, thus moving away from. the friction pads 34 on disc 2. Immediately this occurs, the speed of spindle 9 fall because it is no longer supplied with driving power from disc 2. This fall of speed is very small but has the effect of reducing the centrifugal force on masses 28 28 and consequently collar l3 again movesto the right and through the medium of spring 32 disc I5 is again made to contact with friction pads 34,; causing spindle 9 to be again driven. This sequence of operations repeats itself with the result that the speed of spindle 9 can never exceed a value governed by the pressure of spring 29 and by the magnitude of masses 28 28 By turning the knob '25 clockwise, speed setting cam 2| forces stud 20 and, therefore, collar 12 to the right. Spring 29 is thus compressed further and the speed at which the centrifugal force on governor masses 28 28 balances the compressive force of the springwill consequently be higher, i. e. only at an increased speed will slipping take place between friction discs 2 and.

l5, and spindle 9 will, therefore, now run at this to the friction disc l5 and is provided with a brake pad 35, the disc2 is omitted and the disc I 5 is slidable (but not rotatable) on the spindle 9.

Therefore, the disc l5 and the pad 35 are com-' parable with like elements of a gramophone governor. As the spindle 9 starts to revolve the disc I 5 moves to the left until it engages with the brake pad 35. The drivingspindle I is thus braked with a consequent fall of speed which causes the disc I5 to move away from the pad 34. Immediately this happens the speed increases,

. the disc is again braked and so on. The further The cam profile is, of course, made to correspond to the scale markings.

total speed range is obtained for the combination; if, for example, each governor section covers a speed range of 1:4, that is thehighest operative speed .is four times the lowest operativespeed, which is very easily obtainable in practice, the speed range of the combination will be 1:4 or 1:16.

As wear takes place on the friction pads the calibration of thescale no longer corresponds to the actual speeds obtained, but compensation for wear is easily obtained, for example, by so mountingthesleeve 8' for the spindle 1 as to enable it to be moved to the left to compensate for wear of the friction disc. This method allows the compensating means to be easily accessible from the outside of the casing.

In some applications the variation of the speed in specified steps is preferable to a continuouslyvariable speed, one advantag being that-it is then easier to return to a certain setting after an excursion to another speed setting has been made. This is achieved by notching the underside of dial disc 24, as at 24*, Figure 5, and providing a ball click 24 in the lid l9, the ball click being in known form. The ball 24 is yieldingly urged into a notch immediately above it, and as the disc 24 is turned by the knob 25, the ball, by contact with the flanks of the notches, actsas a flirt, insuring that the disc moves in determined steps. An added advantage of this'construction is that any likclihood'of the cam moving owing to the tension of spring 22' is entirely eliminated.

Instead: of providing the spindle 9 with a. step 33 engaged by a shoulder in extension [3 the spindle could be made the same diameter throughout and theshoulder in l-3 omitted, in

which case the action is as follows:

At restthe governor arms make angle with the horizontal which depend on the relative stiffness of governor springs 29 and 3-2 and on the dimensions of the governor sections. As soon as the governor masses start to move at a low speed,

masses 28 28 move out due to the centrifugal force acting on. them. The centrifugal force acting on governor masses 3W, 3t is much smaller andthe effect is that'collar i3 moves to the left and not until the angle between the high speed section governor arms and the horizontal has been reduced a certain amount i collar M and frictiondisc t5 pulled to the left, thus effecting slipping of the clutch portion. The effect is thatv to obtain agiven low, speed, collar-l2 has to beset to a positionfurther. to the left than is the case when a stepped spindle is employed.

Aspindle of uniform diameter is shown Fig. S.- Additionally, in this modificationthe vertical arm 11'? of the'setting arm l! is located adjacent the brake. pad is moved to the left, the higher will be the controlled speed. Movement of the pad is effected by rotating the cam 2|, the stud 20 being on top of the horizontal part of the arm lfand the spring 22 being attached at its right hand end to a pin 22 on the lever instead or to. the-stud. y

In the modification shown in Fig.6, the. discs 2 and I5 are omitted, the ends of the spindle 9 being supported by bearings 36, thecollar M (Fig. 1 i replaced by a collar 31' in which is a groove 31. containing one end of a control lever 38, and the pinion 3 is considerably longer than the wheel 3 of Fig. 1 because the spindle to which collar 3T is fixed may have to have a considerably greater range of movement. than does the spindle 9 of Fig. 1. The stud 29 is arranged on and the spring 22 attached to the arm ll as described with reference to Fig. 3. The collar 31, when the regulator is in operation, displaces the control,

lever which, for example, cuts off the fuel supply to an internal combustion engine. Otherwise the action is. as described in connection with Fig.

1 in the case where the spindle is not stepped.

two governor sections. A three-governor speed,

regulator is: shown in. Fig. '7.

The said regulator in Fig. 7 differs from that shown in Fig. l in that. the spindle 9 is lengthened and is of uniform diameter throughout its length and, a third governor comprising pivoted arms are and m H and 41 the latter arms carrying masses 4 2 and 42* respectively, a collar 43 and a spring 44 is interposed between thegovernor comprising the masses 3F and 3N and the coilar H; Control movments of the masses 28 and 28 are transmitted to th collar l4 by the two remaining governors, control movements of the governor comprising the masses 3| is transmitted to the collar l4 by the third governor and the third governor acts on the collar l4 directly.

What I claim is:

I. A centrifugal governor, comprising a main spindle, a plurality of elemental governors, a speed setting means and a, control device, said eiemental-gavernor being normally responsive to relatively-difi erent rotational speed ranges and comprising a row of collars mounted in axial alignment on the main spindle, governor arms extending from collar to collar-and governor masses carried by the arms, one of said collars being displaeeable in axial directionby said speed setting means operative on one of the end collars andv said control device comprising a. frictional-ly engaging element connected to the other end collar the speed setting" means being operated to vary the normal elemental governor action of the control device. l

2. A centrifugal governor, including a spindle reduced in diameter in steps and mounted for axial sliding and rotatable movement,-a plurality of elemental governors mounted on said spindle, said governors being normally responsive to relatively different rotational speed ranges, a control device for governing the speed of said spindle, said governors being mounted in axial alignment on the spindle and including a row of collars, the governor arms extending from collar to collar and governor masses carried by said arms, the collar on one end of the spindle being fixed relative thereto and serving to provide effective control displacement of the control device and speed setting means for displacing the collar remote from the control device along the spindle, the intermediate collars being internally flanged for engagement with the step or steps on the spindle.

3. A centrifugal governor, including a, spindle reduced in diameter in steps and mounted for axial sliding and rotatable movement, a plurality of elemental governors mounted on said spindle, said governor being normally responsive to relatively different rotational speed ranges, a control device for governing the speed of said spindle, said governors comprising a row ranges, a speed setting means, a control device for governing the speed of said spindle, said governors being mounted in axial alignment on said spindle and including a row of collars, governor arms. extending from collar to collar and governor masses carried by said arms, the collars being displaceable inaxial direction by the speed setting means, the collar at one end of the row operating to cause effective controlling displacement of the control device.

KAJ LEO JENSEN. 

